Art of manufacturing corn-cob pipes



(No Model.)

A.RUTH. ART 0F MANUFACTURING CORN 00B vPIPES'.

No. 401,464. PatentedApr. 16, 1889.

muwff UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST RUTH, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ART OF MANUFACTURING CORN-COB PIPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,464, dated April16, 1889.

Application filed lugar 15,1888. Serial'No. 282,770. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it nu@ concern:

Be it'known that I, AUGUST RUTH, of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri,have invented certain new` and useful Improvements in the Art ofManufacturing Corn-Cob Pipes; and I do herebyT declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as Willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to an improvement in the art of manufacturingcorn-cob pipes.

The object is to utilize slender' corn-cobs, which in their naturalstate Would not admit of boring and trimming sufficient to forni areceptacle for the tobacco, of a desirable size, and at the same timeleave a Wall of suitable thickness, and to provide a pipe-bowl, whetherformed of the stouter or more slender corncob, which shall have acompact durable Wall, and which shall retain the desirable qualities ofthe corn-cob pipe in its natural state.

"Vith these ends in View my invention consists in iirst treating thecorn-cob to render it pliable, then compressing it to render the Wallthick and compact, and subsequently boring it to form a pipe-bowl.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a mold with thecorn-cob therein as it appears when about to be compressed. Fig. 2represents the mold with the follower forced home and the corn-cobtherein in its compressed state, and Fig. 3 is aview of the bowlcomplete.

The corn-cob is iirst rendered pliable, preferably by boiling it inWater. It is Afound that the slight amount of gum which is inherent inthe cob is suiiicient to render the Walls solid and hold them in theircompressed state when the cob is allowed to remain a short time underpressure and has become dry. if desired, however, a slight quantity ofsilicate of soda may be dissolved in the Water to render the Wallsharder when iinished 5 but such treatment is not found necessary, andthe boiling in Water alone is found to produce avery desirableconsistency of material. The cob, when pliable, is placed in the mold A,in practice in pieces C, about four inches in length, and the follower Bis then forced hom e, compressing the cob C into the size and form ofthe pipe-bowl, as shown in Fig. 3. The coni pressed cob is then allowedto set, the time required for the same depending upon the degree of heatto which it maybe subjected and ranging in practice from one to fourhours or thereabout. The compressed cob is then removed from the moldand bored out to form the bowl, as represented in Fig. 3. Thecompactness of the wall after the cob is compressed Will cause the Wallwhich surrounds the bore to be hard and even, andk there will be notendency of the cob to split While being bored. The outside of the cob,when compressed, Will also be hard and even, and may or may not befurther trimmed, as desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the art of manufacturing corn-cob pipes,consisting in treating the corn-cob to render it pliable, thencompressing it, and subsequently boring it to form a pipe-bowl.

2. The improvement in the art of manufae turing corn-cob pipes,consisting in, first, boiling a corn-cob to render it pliable; second,compressing it in a mold, and subsequently boring the compressed cob toform the pipebowl.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftWo subscribing Witnesses.

AUGUST RUTH.

Vit-n esses:

L. A. BA'rrIcH, A. B. LANSING, Jr.

